clouser



(No Model.)

M. E. & S. F. OLOUSER; SWITCH SYSTEM.

Patented May 7, 1896.

NITED STATES uric.

PATENT MARY E. OLOUSER AND SAMUEL F. OLOUSER, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNORS TOTHE NEW YORKOAR SWITCH COMPANY, OF YORK, N. Y.

' .SWITCH SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming. part of Letters Patent No. 538,867, datedlday '7,1895.

l I Application filed July 30, 1894. Sen'al No. 518,939- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MARY E. CLOUSER and SAMUEL F. OLoUsnR, of Brooklyn,in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Switch Systems, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to animprovement in switch systems in whichrailway cars, intended to travel for a certain portion of their routealong a common track, are automatically switched onto their respectivebranch tracks.

A practical embodiment of our invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a top plan view ofportions of a main track and three branch tracks, showing conventionallythe portions of three different cars on the main track, each car beingconstructed to travel onto its own branch track. Fig. 2 is a view inside elevation of a portion of one of the cars, showing one form ofswitchoperatin'g device connected therewith; Fig. 3 is a top plan viewof the same. Fig. 4 is a view in detail showing in topplan the switchand its operating mechanism, and Fig. 5 is a view of the same in sideelevation.

The main track is denoted by A and the branch tracks by A, A A For thepurposes of explaining our present invention, we have shown three branchtracks, but it is to v be understoodthat the number maybe more or lessthan three, as may be required. At each of the several branch tracks welocate a switch which, in the present instance we have shown asconsisting of a swinging tongue or switch rail B pivotally connectedwith a sliding plate 0 located beneath it. The sliding plate is arrangedto reciprocate transversely of the track and its opposite ends areconnected by some suitable flexible connection with the ends of yieldingrods C. Intermediate of the rods 0' and the ends of the sliding plate,we locate guide pulleys C for changing the directionoLthe flexibleconnections from trapsvrsely to the track to longitudinally ,of thetrack and locate the said guide pulleys in boxes 0 for the purpose ofsupporting and housing them. The rods 0 are and, at the same time, theinterposed springs furnish a yielding cushion in case any obstructionshould temporarily prevent the complete throw. They also serve tocounteract any shortening or lengthening of the rods or connectionsunder the influence of difierent 6o temperatures. Fromthe rods 0connections lead from one of the rods to an arm do of a bell crank leverpivoted at D. The other arm at of said bell crank lever is connectedwith a plunger e depending from the treadle E projecting above the bedof the track and adapted to be depressed in a socket formed in the topof the inclined face guard piece Fin the bed of the track. The other rodC is connected bya flexible connection with one arm of a 7c bell cranklever pivoted at D beneath one of the rails of the main track, the otherarm of said lever being connected with a plunger E, projected above theface ofthe main track rail in position to be depressed by any one of theordinary car wheels of the car passing along the main track. I

v The connection of the switch operating mechanism with the switchtongue is'such that the depression of the plunger or treadle E will, inevery instance, open the switch, leaving the main track intact andcausing the car to travel along the main track unless the switch shallbe subsequently operated by switch operating mechanism carried by thecar. If the switch be already open and the main track intact, then thetreadle in the main track rail will not project above it and the wheelsof the car will move idly over it.

This switch opening mechanism on the main track rail is located inadvance of each branch track switch, and the object is to insure thecontinuity of the main track unless it shall be subsequently broken forthe purposes of shunting a car onto a particular branch track. 5

l The treadle E, which is located either between the rails or outside ofone or both of them, is located at different distances from the maintrack rail for each successive branch track. For example, if the treadleE for the loo branch track A be located four inches from the main rail,the treadle E for the branch track A might be located eight inches fromthe main track rail, and the treadle E for the branch track A twelveinches from the main track rail, and so on, so that if the switchoperating mechanism carried by the car which is intended to branch olfonto the branch track A were located in a vertical plane on the car,which if projected downwardly would strike the track about eight inchesfrom the main track rail, such switch operating mechanism would passidly along the treadle E at the branch track A, but would depress thetreadle E at the branch track A and hence would shunt the car from themain track onto the branch track A The cars intended for the main trackA are denoted by G, those for the branch track A by G, those for thebranch track A by G and those for the branch track A by G The carsintended for the main track need have no switch operating mechanism onthem and may be any of the ordinary cars new in common use, without anyspecial attachment whatever. The cars for the branch track A may beprovided with a switch operating mechanism, such as that shown in sideelevation in Fig. 2, in which a swinging arm H is pivotally connected atits forward end to a cross bar I, supported at the front of the cartruck, the said arm H extending rearwardly and downwardly and beingprovided at its lower end with a treadle operating wheel h. WVe preferto form the lower end of the arm H forked and to mount the wheel itbetween the branches of the forked end. Between the truck frame K andthe arm H, we locate a spring L, the tension of which shall besufficient to exert the necessary downward pressure upon the wheel h tooperate the treadle.

The switch operating mechanism on the car G will be located in aVertical plane correspondin g to the location of the treadle E whichcloses the switch leading to the branch track A. The similar switchoperating mechanism for operating the treadle E at the branch track Awill be located on the car G in a vertical plane corresponding to thetreadle E of the switch at said branch track A and the switch operatingmechanism on the car G intended for the branch track A will be 10- catedin a vertical plane corresponding to the treadle E of the switch of saidtrack A.

For the purpose of making cars usually intended for one of the branchtracks adaptable to some other one of the branch tracks, we prefer tomake the switch operating mechanisms on the several ears readilyadjustable laterally across the car and, to this end, we find itconvenient to provide the cross bar I, extending from side to side ofthe car or car truck and to hinge the swinging arm H to a sleeve 72/which may be adjusted, as for ex ample by a set screw If, in any desiredlateral position along the bar I. The spring L may also be secured atits upper end to a plate Z which plate may be adjnsted,as for example bya thumb screw Z at difierent positions along the front of the truck tocorrespond with the adjustment of the forward end of the swinging arm H.

It is obvious that other specific forms of switch operating mechanismmight be employed in connection with the system hereinabove explainedand that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangementof the several parts described, both in the switch operating mechanismconnected with the track bed and with the car. Hence we do not wish tolimit ourselves strictly to the structure herein shown and described,but

What we claim is- In combination, several switches located along a lineof track, switch closing devices one for each switch, under the controlof a car wheel passing along the line of track to close each of theseveral switches, switch opening devices one for each switch, located atdifferent distances from one of the rails of the main line, and switchoperating devices fixed to the several cars, constructed to travel alongthe line of track, said switch operating devices being fixed to the carsin different positions relative to the width of the car to correspond tothe several switch operating devices arranged at difierent distancesfrom the rail, substantially as set forth.

MARY E. CLOUSER. SAMUEL F. OLOUSER.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, GEORGE BARRY.

